Man who sold fake Nikes takes deal, will leave U.S.

There's a lot of fakes around town -- counterfeit Coaches, phony Pradas and copycat Guccis. There was also a slew of Nikes -- more than 3,500 -- until the feds got ahold of them.

Selling counterfeit goods is a crime, as several Central Florida residents have learned.

In Orlando federal court on Monday, Omar Amaziane was sentenced to probation for his role in a fake-Nike operation. He pleaded guilty to two counts -- conspiring to traffic in counterfeit goods and money laundering -- and a judge accepted his plea.

According to Amaziane's plea agreement, he conspired to traffic in counterfeit Nikes and BAPE-brand items from as early as 2005 through about March 2008.

Amaziane and others marketed and sold the counterfeit goods at a store on North John Young Parkway in Kissimmee. The plea agreement said the store was operated by several companies affiliated with Amaziane, including Universal Footwear, Shoe Factory and Robinhood Liquidators.

In January 2006, Nike sent a cease-and-desist letter to Amaziane. That year, Nike filed suit against Amaziane and Universal Footwear. Despite the suit and letter, Amaziane continued his operation, the plea agreement said.

In March 2008, federal agents searched Amaziane's business and storage units. They found about 3,600 pairs of shoes with fake Nike logos and 315 pairs of shoes with fake BAPE marks. The plea agreement said consumers "were likely to be deceived into believing that the footwear were legitimate."

On Monday, Amaziane's defense lawyers told U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell that Amaziane has a gravely ill mother in Morocco he cares for. The defense and Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg also told the judge Amaziane has helped the government.

Presnell noted that Amaziane continued selling the counterfeit products even after being told to stop.

Amaziane, who will return overseas, was sentenced to three years' probation. He thanked Presnell for understanding his personal situation and apologized for what he did.

There are several other co-defendants, some of whom have already been sentenced.

And they aren't the only ones getting caught trafficking in counterfeit goods.

Earlier this summer, a 54-year-old Polk County woman accused of hosting "purse parties" was arrested by Haines City police. Officers found purses, wallets, sunglasses and shoes in her home, some of which bore fake Coach, Gucci and other designer labels.

FBI spokesman Dave Couvertier said counterfeit goods are an ongoing problem for law enforcement. He said the economic loss to the U.S. economy because of counterfeit activities has been estimated between $200 billion and $250 billion annually.